Global Food Crisis - A Macrobiotic Solution

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http://macrobiotics.co.uk/articles/globalfoodcrisis.htm

 

Global Food Crisis - A Macrobiotic Solution

by Bill Tara

 

What the Headlines Say...

 

Watching the news of TV or reading the morning papers it is no wonder

that

an increasing number of people feelthey are living in apocalyptic times.

In addition to the never ending stories of war and revolution and the

dire

warnings of ecological disaster that occur during every news cycle we

now

have the image of food riots in Haiti and Asia and food related violence

in

14 nations.

 

*An increasing number of the worlds poor are facing starvation

due to the dramatic rise in the cost of basic foods. *

 

In Mexico, the cost of corn has doubled in the past year forcing up the

cost

of tortillas, the principle food in the region and in many parts of Asia

rice prices are matching this rise. This increase in food costs is most

damaging to the urban poor throughout the world and the end is not in

sight.

 

The price of Rice has risen 74% in the past year, the price of Soy 87%

and

Wheat 130% during the same period. International Aid agencies are deeply

concerned about the impact of these prices on their ability to feed the

200

million starving poor who depend on direct food aid for their lives.

 

The official reasons for these radical increases in price are most

recently

placed at the door of rising oil prices, drought and - in some

quarters– an

inefficiency in farming practice. The disastrous environmental con job

of

adding ethanol to gasoline has certainly come in for rightful criticism

as

well as the problem deepens. All of these factors, while important,

deflect

attention from the deeper issue of the way that food is thought about in

contemporary society.

 

The Affluent Diet and other Eating Disorders

 

As with most environmental and social justice issues, distance provides

the

buffer to effective action. Sitting in the comfort of our living rooms

watching the news the sight of starving children may be heart rending

and

sad but we can always turn of the set. What would it be like if we were

exposed to the reality of the situation. I can assure you that the sight

of

starving people up close drives the problem deeper.

 

Just image the suburban family of four sitting on the front lawn with a

barbeque fired up and ready to cook up some juicy burgers being faced

with

several hundred starving women and children across the street. Now

imagine

that they knew that the very burgers they were ready to flip on the

grill

could feed themselves plus about thirty of the starving if they

converted

them back into grain. What would the response be?

 

I must believe that the conversion would be made – if not, what have

we

become. Wasting food by feeding it to animals or using it to fuel our

cars

when people are dying of starvation is a crime against humanity. The

refusal

of society to accept this fact shows how divorced we have become from

the

effect of our daily actions.

 

I prefer to see this lack of consciousness as not as result of a

meanness of

spirit or a disregard for the value of human life. It is a result of bad

education and insensitivity nurtured by cultural values. It is a direct

result of accepting the doctrine of insatiable consumption as a sign of

superiority and affluence as the mark of success. Our attitude regarding

food is the dark shadow of this spiritual dementia.

 

Food is one of the principle ways that we receive nature into our

bodies,

when that link is broken or perverted the effects are wide spread. A

cultural addiction to foods that are energy inefficient, environmentally

destructive and chemically processed produces sickness not only in the

individual but also in society as a whole.

 

One of the lessons of Macrobiotics is that when we live in a way that

honours nature, nature honours us.

Nature demands a certain respect and our very existence in this paradise

we

call earth depends on our humility and gratitude for the gifts we have

been

given. The gifts of clean air, clean water and healthy food to eat are

given

freely not just to the chosen few but to the whole tribe of humankind.

 

Availability of air, water and food should be the minimum of human

rights.

When some are denied these rights through the actions of others there

will

be a price to pay – we are starting to pay the price now and the next

generation will pay it even more. This is not the judgement of an angry

god

this is cause and effect.

 

Crisis Management 101

 

A fact evident in health care is that often a person is unwilling to

make

changes in lifestyle until a crisis is upon them. When the diagnosis is

severe and the conventional treatment isn't working the mind is often

brought into sharp focus on alternative solutions. Many now feel that

this

phenomena will emerge to change behaviour regarding environmental issues

(including food). We should not dare to wait till the crisis gets worse.

Governments, business and science all thrive on crisis management.

 

Fear creates an environment where common sense gets put on hold and

desperation allows the worst solutions to prevail. The promotion of GM

crops

and artificial foods are being talked about as a solution to the

so-called

food shortages. The food crisis is a business opportunity for some in

the

same way as complex and expensive treatment for preventable diseases

pulls

attention away from prevention.

 

It is worth noting that GM crops are not simply foods they are products

protected by patent. Aside from any environmental damage they may do

they

are not part of the free exchange of seeds that can help small holding

farmers in poor countries.

 

They are the property of the same multi-national food industry that has

been

responsible for much of the problem. The search for the silver bullet

that

kills the spectre of world hunger denies society the opportunity to

reflect

on daily actions that everyone could take to alleviate the problem.

 

It is the cowardice of governments that the agribusiness, food

manufacturers

and meat producers are not brought into line with human needs and that

farming quotas are not enforced that promote environmentally sound

practices.

 

A Macrobiotic Solution

 

For over fifty years the Macrobiotic community has promoted and refined

a

way of eating that enhances health and has a solid environmental

rationale.

We have focused on eating locally when possible, using organic foods,

avoiding overly processed foods and eating low on the food chain. These

factors are fundamental to a diet that reflects not only healthy living

but

social and environmental justice.

 

Together with others such as Francis Moore Lappe we have pointed to the

connection between hunger in the poor world and disease in the rich

world.

Maybe we haven't done enough.

While the focus on the healing aspects of food are important and need to

be

pursued, larger social issues have taken the backseat. I sincerely hope

that

the next generation of Macrobiotic advocates focus as much on planetary

healing as on personal healing.

 

It is the practical application of our principles that can help society

realize that quantum shifts in daily food can be done with a minimum of

effort while still providing nutritious and delicious meals. I can think

of

few other acts that would shift public perception of Macrobiotics in a

more

positive way.

 

A question I am often asked is how to tell people why we eat according

to

Macrobiotic principles. I am committed to telling people that among the

many

reasons I eat this way is that if more people did there would be less

starvation on the planet. It should lead to some interesting discussions

and

I look forward to them.

 

A New book 'Natural Body - Natural Mind' by Bill Tara will be available

later this summer 2008.

 

Welcome to Bill Tara's Official Website:

http://www.billtara.net/bio.htm